ITAC: ASD/DD News
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6/17/2022
Louisiana LEND Scholars Recognized with Allied Health Honors
Louisiana's UCEDD, LSUHSC Human Development Center, is proud to see Louisiana LEND scholars receive honors from the LSU Health Sciences Center School of Allied Health Professions as they completed their respective programs on May 19th.
6/16/2022
Retiring Va-LEND Faculty Member Leaves with a Song
By Jennifer Drummond
During her time at Va-LEND, Power-deFur shared a couple of her fondest memories which included working with Va-LEND's interdisciplinary clinics, which are a core part of the curriculum at Va-LEND and the collaborative discussions during the in-person faculty meetings. Working with Hayes E. Willis Health Center, of Richmond, we frequently worked with Spanish interpreters/brokers and relied on their input to develop a meaningful plan.
6/16/2022
WI LEND Celebrates 10 Years of Welcoming Disability Advocates
Wisconsin's Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (WI LEND) program is proud to celebrate the tenth anniversary of graduating disability advocates as LEND trainees! WI LEND offers interdisciplinary and leadership training to over 30 trainees a year across more than a dozen disciplines, including disability advocates (persons with a developmental disability) and family (family members of a person with a developmental disability).
6/7/2022
MN LEND Fellow Teaches People with IDD to Write Their Stories
Cow Tipping Press founder Bryan Boyce (MNLEND, 2020-21) recently wrapped another series of the organization's writing courses for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), bringing the cumulative number of students served to nearly 600. Through networking conversations with fellow MNLEND alumni, Boyce has begun offering courses beyond Minnesota's borders, a result of the surge in interest for online learning due to the pandemic. Most of the coursework can be completed online, but the Cow Tipping team goes on location at the end to present published books featuring students' work and celebrate the experience.
6/6/2022
LEND Capstone Poster Session and Celebration
On May 6, 2022, 17 trainees from the 2021-2022 NH-ME LEND program shared their scholarship and leadership development during the annual Capstone Poster Session and Celebration. The trainees' posters showcased their leadership development through community placements in settings that included state agencies, community health providers, advocacy organizations, and partners in each state's developmental disabilities network. The opening remarks were provided by Will Clyde, Associate Dean of the UNH Graduate School, followed by NH-ME LEND Program Director Betsy Humphreys. Congratulations to the graduates!
5/5/2022
WI LEND Adds Family and Disability Advocacy Peer Mentors to Training Team
WI LEND, located at the Waisman Center UCEDD, introduced a new staff role of Peer Mentor at the beginning of the new grant funding cycle. Ida Winters and Stasia Wilson, both recent graduates of the WI LEND program, were hired to fill the roles of Family Peer Mentor and Disability Advocacy Peer Mentor, respectively. �Ida and Stasia were both standout trainees, and we are so excited to add them both to our staff, said the Training Director, Gail Chodron. WI LEND has had trainees and staff in the family discipline for over 15 years, and added self-advocacy trainees 10 years ago.
7/2/2021
Texas Center for Disability Studies Receives LEND Grant
Texas has taken an important step forward in training leaders in service to children and adolescents with autism and other disabilities. The University of Texas at Austin�s Texas Center for Disability Studies (TCDS) was awarded the prestigious LEND grant to develop the next generation of interdisciplinary leaders prepared to improve the lives of youth with disabilities and their families
4/1/2021
2021 Autism Acceptance Month Webinar Series
AUCD's Autism Special Interest Group (SIG) is sponsoring a series of three webinars for Autism Acceptance Month. Topics will range from telehealth to cognitive behavioral therapy to caregiver coaching strategies. We will also host an open house for AUCD network members to learn more about activities of the Autism SIG.
4/1/2021
April 2021: Autism Acceptance Month
April is widely recognized as Autism Acceptance Month. AUCD, our members, and partners have used this as an opportunity to share information relating to Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
1/11/2021
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Researcher Documents How COVID-19 Multiplies Stress and Trauma for People with a Disabilities
In a article published in Rehabilitation Psychology, Anjali J. Forber-Pratt, Ph.D., assistant professor of Human and Organizational Development and a Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) member, reviews research on disabilities and COVID-19 to help rehabilitation psychologists mitigate the effects of the added stress of the pandemic. In addition, the work addressed how systemic discrimination against people with disabilities intersects with other forms of inequity.
8/19/2020
AUCD Announced as Partner in AIR-P Network
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects 1 in 54 children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As autistic children age into adulthood, health-related behaviors that may develop in childhood can have long-term consequences. Diet and exercise can impact cardiovascular risk, particularly in families with a history of hypertension, diabetes or cardiac complications. Autistic children and adults often do not get the recommended preventive services, such as immunizations or lab tests for cholesterol and diabetes. Autistic adults often do not get screened appropriately for cancer.
8/7/2020
MI-LEND Fellow Sean Jones Awarded an Albert Schweitzer Fellowship
Congratulations to MI-LEND Fellow and Wayne State University School of Medicine student Sean Jones on being awarded an Albert Schweitzer Fellowship for 2020-2021! Jones will address the specific health needs of individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. His project involves the creation of a student-run clinic that promotes the overall quality of life of individuals with disabilities and their families.
8/7/2020
Va-LEND Faculty Shares Impact of ADA
This July marked the 30th year of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), put into place to protect people with disabilities from discrimination. Jack Brandt, the Disability Advocacy (DA) track coordinator for the Virginia LEND (Va-LEND) program, mentors trainees in understanding the legislative process and how policies such as ADA impact people with disabilities and their families. He shares, "I have been impacted by the physical accessibility that the ADA provides for. I also utilize a reasonable accommodation to do my work. I have been fortunate to dedicate my career to the goals of the ADA and the DD Act."
7/7/2020
MN LEND's 12th Cohort Graduates Virtually
The 12th cohort of ICI's Minnesota Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (MNLEND) program graduated May 14 in an online ceremony that featured a congratulatory message from U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, among others, and video testimonials from graduates themselves about what the interdisciplinary fellowship program has meant for them.
5/22/2020
During Unprecedented Times, Kansas LEND Emerging Leaders Take Action
There was a call for action - and Kansas LEND trainees responded. As a statewide Stay at Home Order was announced in Kansas in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak, Kansas LEND trainees were quick to create and disseminate resources for Kansans with disabilities and their families.